United States: a giraffe delights a zoo by giving birth to its baby in front of visitors

Bringing a new life into the world is a wonderful and very intimate experience, but sometimes things happen in unexpected ways. The Virginia Zoo, located in the US state of the same name, recently had a surprise birth. Indeed, a baby giraffe was born under the amazed gaze of visitors!

Credit: Virginia Zoo

This is Imara, a Maasai giraffe, gave birth to her brand new baby in September, giving the public around the zoo enclosure that day a one-of-a-kind experience. And for good reason, the caretakers of the zoo awaited the arrival of the baby, but were not sure of the exact date of delivery. Born in the morning, the baby was already 1.80 m tall and weighed 50 kg. Fortunately, he is healthy and full of personality. The young female was named Tisa which means 'nine' in Swahili, representing her birthday (the 9th day of the 9th month of the year), as well as the number of children her mother has given birth to.

His grandfather, Billy, has sired a remarkable 15 baby cubs so far. The birth of Tisa brought the total number of giraffes at the Virginia Zoo: Imara and her new baby Tisa, Noelle and her baby Mchanga born in December, and Billy the dad. On the occasion of Tisa's birth, a special pack called 'Zoodoption' was offered to the public to celebrate her arrival. Buyers got a glimpse of the baby during a behind-the-scenes tour of the giraffe area, as well as a Q&A session with their caretakers.

Maasai giraffes are significantly darker than other giraffe species. Their distinctive spots are shaped like vine leaves and are deep cocoa brown, surrounded by a lighter creamy ground color. There are actually two subspecies of Masai giraffe: the Masai giraffe and the Luangwa giraffe. There are just over 45,400 of this particular species left in the wild in the world.

Credit: Virginia Zoo

An endangered species of giraffe

According to the Virginia Zoo website, Maasai giraffes are currently listed as endangered due to habitat loss and poaching, and the birth of this new little one is therefore excellent news. This mating project between Billy and Imara was suggested by Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan, an organization that helps animal parks to make species thrive and thus protect their genetic heritage.

As you will have understood, the birth of Tisa is excellent news!